Tara: So Michael. It’s our very first MusiClack … how exciting! Maybe I should explain to our tons of interested readers what this thing is all about?
Michael: Great idea! Go ahead, Tara.
Tara: Well, with my background in radio and Michael’s intense interest in music, we decided it would be fun to bring music and television together on CliqueClack. The idea behind MusiClack is for us to pick a year in music, after the advent of MTV in 1981, and choose a couple of videos that were popular and riff on them.
Michael: Well … !!! Let’s get riffing then … !!!
Tara: It was genius of MTV to pick this as the first video ever shown. I think it was kind of a bold statement they were making … sort of “Watch out radio! Here we come!” Funny. Looking at it now, it’s so archaic in terms of editing and effects. But back then? We were impressed.
Michael: Actually, Tara, with this video being 30+ years old, the effects weren’t all that shabby. The only thing really bugging me is the lead singing to himself … and both doing so out of sync to the song. Other than that, I think it was pretty innovative for the time.
Tara: You’re right. My friends and I were addicted to MTV from the get-go. We’d head on over to my friend’s basement (Mark Walker, whose a gynecologist now) and arrange ourselves everywhere for a good four or five hours of MTV! Bless his parents! They made sure they got cable as soon as possible. And they threw in a ping pong table, pool, and pinball for good measure. It was a totally cool hangout when you were fifteen and living in simpler times.
Tara: Go ahead and laugh, but I’ve always had a soft spot for this song. And it was in the top thirteen on MTV that year, so I can’t be that crazy. One of the things I adored about MTV back then was it opened up the avenue to see artists in a studio setting as well as being creative with video. Up until that point, if you liked an artist you pretty much had to catch them live or on the occasional late night appearance.
Michael: Which was fine for the time … but, now? That stuff doesn’t necessarily fly as much as it did back then. But regardless of what I think, this was a spiffy little one hit wonder by Rafferty … and it still holds water as far as I’m concerned.
I find it interesting this song was so popular in America’s mind 30 years ago and more. While I do like the occasional spin of this tune, it’s no wonder I really wasn’t into the music of the ’70s way back then. Nothing against this song, but if I had to listen to this type of genre exclusively, I don’t think I’d be as enamored with music as much as I am now.
Tara: Wait a second: Are you discounting what you have referred to as “studio bands”, such as Toto, Steely Dan and Alan Parson, etc.?
Michael: Not at all, Tara. I am simply stating Baker Street is all right every once in a while … not continuously. And you know I’m a big fan of Steely Dan and Alan Parsons.
Tara: … something we’ll probably deal with down the road on a future MusiClack.
Michael: Now, this is the type of song that really opened doors for me musically. While growing up and spending after-school hours at my aunt’s house, my cousin introduced me to all kinds of aural monkey business — the notorious Aerosmith, Bad Company, Rare Earth and, of course, David Bowie.
Having heard Space Oddity until I was blue in the face and dreaming those science fiction dreams, Ashes To Ashes was the first song I could recall being a musical follow up. I know it was the video which really popularized the tune, but it was the song that did it for me.
And, oh … that imagery. Once I finally got on the bandwagon and saw the video — can’t really say I saw it on MTV the very first time, but where else would I have seen it? — it was rather fascinating. The visual’s use of colors and flourish was “all that” for my young mind.
Tara: While I’m just like everybody else in terms of being overly familiar with Space Oddity, Ashes To Ashes was new to me. And my question for you? When I look at the lyrics, what is he trying to say about Major Tom? That the previous song was a mistake? That time in his life was a mistake? What? And by the way … the video is deliciously weird, vintage Bowie.
Michael: Bowie was rather that chameleonic performer. This strange mini film is testament to that. Regarding what he’s saying in the video? There are lots of interpretations, Tara. The one I subscribe to is this: Major Tom is more of a “spaceman” than one would be led to believe.
Tara: Are you going all sci-fi on me? ‘Cause you know my eyes glaze over when you talk science fiction.
Michael: In that case, I’m glad one of the most popular videos on MTV that year wasn’t Bowie’s Life On Mars.
Tara: So … one MusiClack in the books. How do you feel? Hopeful? Relived?
Michael: Truth be told … I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to hearing what our readers think about our new column.
Clacked by Tara Shrodes
on Sep 16, 2011 @ 09:59 EST5EDT
Nice conversation…kudos to the both of you. I am a “trifle” older then the two of you so my first recall of MTV was via youngsters at work talking about it. Then the grumbling from the grownups began… it will be the destruction of the younger generation as they will be glued to the front of their TV’s doing nothing. Yeah, like what was said about Elvis, the Beatles, and so on. But THEN my boys began the countdown to the premier of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Still can remember that moment in time. MTV did become the most watched channel by my boys.
*POST AUTHOR*
I remember the anticipation of Thriller coming out. It actually scared us.
*POST AUTHOR*
The video. Not the “anticipation.” Heheh.
I was ten when MTV debuted, but we didn’t have cable at home, because growing up in So. Cal, who needed it? We had more than the three channels that my cousins in Iowa had to get by on.
I did get to see MTV at my dad’s on weekends, and when I had the chicken pox and stayed with my brother and his two young girls who’d already had the pox. I remember the video that played over and over that week or so was “Hey Mickey” by Toni Basil. Still have a soft spot for it. :)
Nice to see you two branching out into a new area. I know you’re both big music fans, and I’m sure we’ll hear some DEVO and some James Taylor in the mix here at some point. :)
*POST AUTHOR*
Yep, Lisana you can bet that some of our favorites bands will definitely be creeping in … thnks for the comment!
As I was already a crust old fart by the time MTV debuted I have no particularly fond memories of this.
I do remember the start of Real World and Road Rules and thinking what’s up with that? :-)
oops! Crusty old fart, :-)
Great article, keep up the good writing
I so remember that first year. David Bowies Modern Love was played after every 2 videos. I was 14 years old. The truth is at the time video killed the radio star.
I can’t believe you didn’t pick “Hungry like the Wolf”!!! That played every 10 minutes!
*POST AUTHOR*
Katie, that was 1982, not 1981 … we’ll get to it at some point I’m sure!
Hey! What do you mean “first video ever shown”? On MTV, maybe. But let’s never forget the ground-breaking work done in the TV show, “The Monkees”. Even MTV honored them by bringing Monkee reruns back, years after they first aired.
Wow! MusiClack is a great idea. Music, TV, Michael, Tara, and somehow even science fiction got into the discussion. What more could you want … except maybe some chocolate.
Interesting clack to read, especially for an old pink crustacean like me! You are reviving all the guilt I felt because we couldn’t afford cable when my kids were MTV age–hell, we had an old b&w TV set with a 12″ screen. Really. One of our cars–the ’67 VW bug–had an AM radio; the other–the ’67 VW bus–had no radio. They survived, and of course now my “music of choice” is a lot of the 80s stuff. Funny thing, kids are grown up, gone, and now I have satellite radio in the car and a dish for TV.
Anyway, keep it up, guys, I love to hear you talk about your childhoods!
I was sitting in my college apartment with about a dozen of my friends waiting for MTV to fire up for the very first time. I had wired my giant 25″ (yes, that was giant at the time) TV’s audio output through my fancy Pioneer digital receiver, enhanced by another Pioneer component, the reverberation amplifier, then piped out to 4 speakers.
That’s what happens when you have a drill, soldering iron, oversized stereo equipment (for the time) and too much time on your hands. It did win friends and garner me huge piles of free pizza and beer.
. . . . .
Tom:
Automatic win … !!!
I knew how to party in college. The real problem was it took me several years longer to know how to graduate. I dropped out for a few years, but cleaned up my act, got married then went back and got my degree. Classes were soooo much easier when I was sober and/or not hung-over.
Even so, I don’t regret a minute of it. At least the minutes I remember.
. . . . .
Experience.
It comes in many forms. Additionally, nothing teaches better.
Plus … I’m a big believer in what my father said: “You don’t learn from your successes … you learn from your mistakes.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I’ve learned more from my screw-ups than my successes. Your dad is a smart cookie. (Crap, now I’m hungry for cookies.)
*POST AUTHOR*
My Dad always used to say … “Tara. I can see you’re just like me, so stay away from beer and pool tables. Oh. And nothing good ever happens after one in the morning.”
And? Tom, if you have cookies? I’ll take one, please.